I Watch Films: Calamity Jane

 

Calamity Jane (1953)

Calamity Jane (Doris Day) rides the stagecoaches as a guard in the Dakota territory; due to her deadly aim and hair trigger temper no one officially doubts her tall tales. She has a friendly rivalry with Wild Bill Hickock (Howard Keel) and an unspoken crush on Lieutenant Gilmartin (Philip Carey). She goes out of her way to save him from a Native American attack. The owner of the Golden Garter Saloon in Deadwood erroneously hires Francis Fryer for his show, thinking Fryer is a woman. He goes on in drag which does pretty well until his wig comes off; violence threatens. Calamity comes to the rescue, announcing she will got to Chicago and get Adelaid Adams, the big star everyone likes from her cigarette card. Wild Bill doubts her and they make a wager that he will attend in “Indian” dress.

Arriving there she is late to Adams dressing room; Adams has abandoned her wardrobe to her maid Katie Brown (Allyn Ann Mclerie) as she will get new clothes on her European tour. Dreaming of stardom, when Calam comes in offering her a chance she takes it, and attempts to impersonate Adams. This doesn’t work; Katie’s unsure on stage and is revealed; again violence threatens until Calam gets up on stage and insists everyone give her a chance, and she’s lassoed by Wild Bill and lifted off the ground to everyone’s amusement.

Katie and Calamity move into Calam’s cabin, and with Katie’s inspiration they fix it up to be very pleasant, and Katie helps Calam be more ladylike. Unfortunately for Calam, Katie attracts both the Lieutenant and Wild Bill. When they plan to go to the ball the Lieutenant and Wild Bill draw straws; the Lieutenant wins and takes Katie, so Wild Bill takes Calam on a double date. As it happens everyone is impressed by Calam’s transformation, but she’s jealous and shoots a glass out of Katie’s hand. In a rather complex series of events, the next day Katie and Calam’s disagreement is resolved by Katie shooting a glass out of Calam’s hand to determine who stays in Deadwood; in fact Wild Bill shoots it out. Afterwards Wild Bill and Calam admit to each other that she loves the Lieutenant and he loves Katie – and then the two embrace and kiss and confess their own love. Returning the next day they discover Katie has left for Chicago, feeling guilty over how she treated Calam; the Lieutenant is furious so Calam mounts up and heads after her, to tell her that everything’s worked out now between her and Wild Bill so she can return.

This is a musical, a romance, a western – and a comedy! Doris Day’s physical acting is glorious, when she dances, when she does stunts, when she does pratfalls and slapstick. What a magnificent bit of clowning – enough to even make me fond of her ridiculous old-timey western accent. Maybe not enough to ignore the fact that Calamity Jane was a real person – Martha Jane Canary – whose real story has many versions of which this takes almost nothing.

Watch This: Fun comedy musical Western romance
Don’t Watch This: Musical? Comedy? Romance? WESTERN?